Lizzie Of Longbourn
by Marlize
Summary: A modern story that's based on P&P, about Lizzie Bennet and a certain William Darcy. R&R please. TnQ.
1. A Day Like So Many Others

_This story is **based** on Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice", so not everything's the same (so everything stays surprising so you will like to read this story – well, that's the theory ;) ) Please review!  
Everything you recognize does belong to J. Austen. Everything you don't... well, that belongs to me!  
Note: English isn't my mother tongue, that's why I probably make more grammar mistakes than the most of you ;)_

_1. A Day Like So Many Others_

"Lizzie, wake up!" someone called. Lizzie Bennet opened her eyes and saw her sister's face.  
"Take it easy, Jane, I've got enough time to-" she yawned, "- get out of my bed."  
"Really? Look at the clock!"  
Yawning again, Lizzie turned her head and the next moment she stood on the floor.  
"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" she almost yelled at Jane.  
"Hey, don't blame _me_ you're a sleepyhead."  
"Who else is there to blame?"  
"Let's think... maybe yourself?" Jane watched Lizzie with an amused gaze. Lizzie hated it when she did that, especially when she didn't have time to say something back.  
"I'll make some breakfast," said Jane, and she left the room they shared. Lizzie got dressed as quickly as possible and she grabbed her back, which was already packed.  
"Did you pack my back?" she asked Jane, who gave her a sandwich.  
"Yes, and now go! The others are already gone!"  
"They didn't wait for me?"  
"No, and I can't blame them."  
"Me neither," admitted Lizzie and she ran out of the house.  
"Bye Jane! Thanks for packing!" she yelled and she got her bike. The bikes of her younger sisters where indeed already gone. Mary never wanted to be late, and Kitty and Lydia always wanted to be early, so they could see Jesse Dawson arrive.  
While she rode to school as fast as she could, she almost hit a bus and an old lady.  
"Sorry, ma'am!" she said hasty. A few minutes later she quickly ran into the grey building. "Longbourn Highschool" said the big capitals on the front.  
The great hall was empty and she was just about walking to the stairs when somebody called her name.  
"Miss Bennet!"  
"Yes, ma'am?" she questioned and looked up. She didn't have time for this, but Ms Greenfield was not someone to walk away from.  
"Could you please bring Mr Darcy to your lesson? He's in the same class as you."  
"O, eh, okay ma'am," Lizzie said answered. She looked at the young man that stood next to her teacher.  
"I'm Lizzie Bennet," she smiled.  
"William Darcy," said he said. She didn't really like the arrogant way he talked.  
"You should go now," said Ms Greenfield in a cold voice and she walked away.  
"Right," Lizzie said. "Eh, shall we go?"  
"What are you waiting for?" asked William, with a voice so simular to Ms Greendfield's that Lizzie shivered. They went to the stairs.  
"We've got maths now," told Lizzie, while they walked on the second floor.  
"I know."  
"Well, good for you," she snapped at him. His face was blank.  
"Here we are," she said coolly, and she opened the door.  
"Lizzie, you're late," said the friendly voice of Mr Hoffman.  
"Yes, I am. Ms Greenfield asked me to bring this one to our lesson. He's new," Lizzie told their maths teacher.  
"I see. You must be... Darcy?" he asked, and William nodded.  
"William Darcy, sir."  
"Alright, alright... I'm Mr Hoffman. You can sit down there, next to Kenneth."  
Lizzie sat down next to Eve Dawson, her best friend.  
"Overslept again?" Eve whispered.  
"Yeah."  
"Who's that?" Eve asked, frowning.  
"William Darcy."  
"Duh! No, I mean, what is he like?"  
"Stupit guy, really. He's so arrogant! I don't like him."  
"Good."  
"Why?"  
"He's handsome."  
"Oh no, you're not gonna fall in love with him, eh?"  
"Who knows... Liz, calm down!" Eve laughed.  
"He's disgusting, really."  
"You only know him for a few minutes."  
"You don't even know him at all."  
"True. But maybe you're wrong, maybe he's a really nice person."  
"Maybe I'm Nelson Mandela."

"Talking about falling in love..." began Eve at the end of the lesson, "are Kitty and Lydia still in love with my younger brother?"  
"Yes, unfortunately they are," sighed Lizzie. "They can't stop talking about him, it drives me sometimes nuts."  
"Yeah... Jesse is quite irritated they always stare at him. They really should stop do that."  
"They're fourteen and fifteen... they don't know how stupit they are," said Lizzie.  
"You've got a point. But I don't even understand why they think he's handsome... I mean, he isn't. Right?"  
Lizzie would lie if she told Eve that Jesse wasn't handsome. He was the most georgeous boy in Mary's grade, but not really her type. Suddenly, Lizzie imagined a handsome face with brown eyes.  
"Liz? You're kidding me, right?" Eve asked stunned. "Please say you don't fancy Jesse!"  
"No, no, not at all! I don't even like blue eyed guys."  
"Ah, I forgot. But do you think Jesse's handsome? They say so, but I don't see it."  
"Be happy, you're his sis. But he's not the ugliest guy of the school, I've got to admit that."  
"Hm. Well, beautiful is our family's middle name!" Eve grinned.  
"You're right, and that's why I'm asking you out for months now," said a voice behind them.  
"Michael, please stop it," Eve said.  
"No," the blackhaired guy said, "please Eve, please please please please..."  
"No-ho," said Eve, laughing because of his begging voice.  
"Too bad, man," Christian, Michael's best friend, said. "Maybe you've got to ask Miranda out. I think she fancies you."  
"Miranda? Yuk!" said Michael. "Well, beautiful, I've got to go. But when you finally realize what a brilliant bloke I am, you just have to call me!"  
"Yeah, I'll do that..." said Eve slowly.  
The classroom was almost deserted now, and Mr Hoffman said: "Hurry up, ladies!"  
"Yes Mr," and they left the room, going to their next lesson.  
"Maybe I should go out on a date with Mike," said Eve softly.  
"You're in love with him?" Lizzie asked surprised.  
"I don't know. I mean, he's funny and sweet and... good-looking..."  
"You're in love with Michael," an amazed Lizzie established. "Well, call him and say you realize he's... ehm, 'a brilliant bloke'."  
"I can't do that!" said Eve, "I mean, I'm a little bit shy when it comes to guys, and..."  
"Wait a moment," Lizzie said, and she quickly ran into the classroom where they would be taught the next hour.  
"Michael!" she called, and the guy looked up.  
"Yeah?"  
"Eve has realized something..."  
There was no need to finish the sentence.


	2. Tell Me Some Stories

**Kates Master's Sister**: thank you! Dutch is my first language, by the way. As Lizzie said in chapter 1, Kitty and Lydia are fourteen and fifteen, and in this chapter Lizzie tells she is seventeen, which makes Mary sixteen. Jane is nineteen. I know, the ages are different from the book, but like I said: this is_ based_ on it. It has the same frame, but I wanna make my own story and not a weird copy of it :)_  
_Hope you like this, and people - please review!  
P.S. I made a REALLY weird mistake I mixed up a few characters... normally I check my writing, but this was the first time I didn't and BAM! I immediately made this huge mistake ... so I changed a few things and now everything's okay :)

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_2. Tell Me Some Stories_

Seven days later, Lizzie walked into the Red Lion Hotel. Eve's father was the boss of it, and his family lived on the fifth floor.  
Lizzie looked around; she had always liked the hotel. The walls were red and purple, the people were always friendly and  
there was such a wonderful atmosphere.  
"Liz, look what I've got here!" called her friend, who had been waiting in front of the elevator. She got up from the purple chair  
and showed a silver bracelet.  
"Wow, beautiful!" Lizzie admired.  
"Michael gave it to me, he left ten minutes ago... Because of our one-week-anniversary he gave me a present!" Eve beamed.  
"I feel quite guilty, I mean I don't have a present for him. Is that bad?"  
"Really naughty," Lizzie nodded, and Eve gave her a soft push.  
"Shut up, otherwise you won't get your book back _and _I won't get you a chocolate pie, made by my mother."  
"Chocolate pie?"  
"Yeah, do you want some?"  
"Yes, please!"  
"Eve!" a voice called. The girls looked up and they saw Mr Dawson, Eve's father.  
"Could you please come here, we need you to-"  
"Dad, Lizzie's here!" Eve protested. Lizzie knew Eve didn't like it to help when it was busy in the hotel.  
"I know, I only need you for a second."  
"Alright, alright... Sorry Liz, I'll be right back."  
"With pie!"  
"With pie."  
Lizzie landed on the chair. A few minutes passed by as a young man sat down on the chair next to her. He looked  
quite nervous and tapped with his fingers on the arm rest.  
"Ehm, could you please stop doing that?" Lizzie asked friendly.  
"O, I'm sorry," he smiled and he immediately stopped tapping.  
"Why are you so nervous?"  
"I'm going to interview Vicky L. Jason of Greenpeace. She stays here and, well, she's quite my hero," the guy smiled.  
He looked at Lizzie. "What's your name?"  
"Lizzie Bennet. Are you a journalist?"  
"Yes, I am. Otherwise I wouldn't interview people," he grinned. "I'm George Wickham, by the way. I work for a news paper.  
This is my first real job, the first time I can go to somewhere else... I come from Manchester," he explained.  
"Vicky L. Jason, she's from the oil, right?"  
"Yeah, that's true. She's fantastic, thanks to her there-" he stopped when the elevator door opened, but an old man appeared.  
"What's Vicky doing here, I mean, this is just a small village," said Lizzie.  
"Yeah, but she doesn't like the big cities, and Longbourn is near London, so it's not difficult to go to important meetings and stuff."  
"I see." suddenly, Lizzie heared a sound. She looked up and saw William Darcy, standing next to her chair.  
"Hello," she said awkward.  
He looked at them, and after a painful silence he said: "I was actually... Nevermind, I'll talk to you later, Wickham."  
And then he left.  
Lizzie felt incredibly weird, and looked at George. He seemed to feel the same way, but also a bit... scared?  
"You know William Darcy?" Lizzie knew it was a stupid question, but she wanted to know what was going on.  
"William Darcy?" George asked slowly. She waited.  
"Yes, I know him," he continued softly, "he moved to this town, right?"  
"Yes, he did. He's... in my class," Lizzie told him.  
"He was a good friend of mine, almost my brother," he looked at her. The whole conversation he had looked admiring at her,  
but now it was obvious he was really worried about something.  
"Look, Lizzie... I like you," George said slowly," and that's why I'm going to warn you. There's something with Darcy,  
he has a secret."  
Lizzie frowned. Was she supposed to be shocked or something, by the hearing of this 'cliffhanger-sentence'? She didn't like it  
when people said negative stuff about Darcy – she was the only one allowed to do that.  
"He's got a child."  
"A what!" all her fantasies and happy dreams fell to pieces, that one second. "He's got a..."  
"A child," he finished her line.  
"But he's only seventeen, just like me!"  
"That doesn't mean he can't make love," George said.  
"But... a _child_, for god's sake!"  
"It wasn't really planned," George said. It sounded like a joke, but Lizzie didn't smile. She felt dizzy – William was a father.  
The handsome, but a little bit arrogant, brown eyed guy had a child. She wanted to cry, but Fritz was there, so she didn't do it.  
"I know it's shocking to hear... but I think it's for the best if I tell you the truth. You've gotta watch out, he's a tricky guy," he warned.  
"That child..." began Lizzie.  
"... he has left town before it was born."  
"Did he know the girl was pregnant?"  
"Of course."  
"The bastard!"  
George looked at the ceiling, and Lizzie said quickly: "I'm sorry, I forgot he's you cousin. Although that doesn't mean I can't  
say things like 'bastard', it has to be no fun to-"  
"It's alright, Liz," he said loud, "he's a bastard and I know it."  
"And... the girl?"  
"She raises the baby on her own."  
"George Wickham?" a woman asked. They looked up and saw Vicky L. Jason standing in front of them.  
"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you, ma'am," George stood up and shake her hand.  
"Well, Lizzie, I gotta go. Bye!"  
"Bye!" Lizzie said softly.  
"Tatatatatatatataaaaaaa!" someone yelled as Vicky L. Jason and George just had left.  
"Here's a beautiful chocolate pie for Miss Bennet!" Eve gave her a plate and Lizzie looked at it.  
"Thank you," she whispered. The next moment she cried and Eve hugged her, asking what was wrong.  
But all Lizzie could do, was crying.


	3. An Once In A Lifetime Night

The songtext is copyrighted by me.   
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_3. An Once In A Lifetime Night_

"Come on, Mary, don't be so... so..."  
"Leave her, Kitt. No one can save her, she's lost in the piano. Farewell, sister."  
"Don't be so ridiculous!" Mary yelled at Kitty and Lydia.  
"If you just would come with us! I mean, this is gonna be _fun_!" Kitty told her, but Mary wouldn't listen.  
"Three! Two! One!" Jane yelled, and the two youngest sisters quickly walked to the door.  
"Goodbye," Lizzie said to her mother and Mary, who were both in the living room, and then she also left.  
"Is this really gonna be fun?" Jane asked softly, when Lizzie stood next to her.  
"Sure, why not?" Lizzie laughed, "C.U.T. is a great band."  
"What does C.U.T. actually mean?"  
"Crazy Unlimited Team."  
"You're kidding, right?"  
Lizzie grinned, she knew Jane didn't realy like bands, but she really wanted her sister to go with her and  
the two others tonight. It would be fun, like Kitty said, and it would take her mind of... _things_.  
Their house was near the place where the concert would be performed.  
"This is so great!" Lydia yelled. "An open air concert in Longbourn! Liz, do you think I can get an autograph of Timothy?"  
"Timothy?" Jane asked.  
"He's the singer of C.U.T.," Lizzie told, "and I don't know, Lydia."  
"I wanna see Jamie," Kitty said, "he's the greatest. His eyes..." she smiled.  
"Stop it, you're sick!" Jane told her, and Lizzie and Lydia laughed.  
"Look," Lydia said after a while, "do you see it?"  
There was a small stage on the market, and a big crowd listened to some man, who had the microphone in his hand.  
The four Bennet's quickly walked to all the people and listened to man's words.  
"All the way from Southampton... the one and only C.U.T.!" Everyone clapped and some girls screamed, two of them  
were Kitty and Lydia. Jane rolled her eyes and Lizzie grinned. She looked at the stage and saw three men standing there.  
She clapped and they began to play.

"Wow, they're really cool!" Jane said loudly, after a while. "Yeah, they are, aren't they?" Lizzie answered, "Eve has a cd of them, that's how-" she stopped talking, because she saw  
William Darcy standing next to her.  
"Hey," he smiled. For the first time, he wasn't arrogant. Probably the rocking music had a positive effect on him.  
"Hey there," Lizzie said coolly. He frowned.  
"Do you like it?" he asked.  
"Yes, I do."  
"Ehm..." he looked taken aback, "this is my friend, Charles Bingley."  
"Nice to meet you," Lizzie nodded. She knew Jane wanted to be introduced to the two guys in front of them,  
but she didn't say anything.  
"Uh, I'm Jane, Lizzie's sister," Jane told, after a long silence.  
"Nice to meet you," Charles smiled. Lizzie looked at him, he looked like a really cheerfull person. Not really a Darcy-friend.  
"Do you both live her?" Jane asked, smiling back.  
"William does, but I don't. I live in Manchester," Charles explained. Lizzie felt a little shock when she heard the name of the town.  
"You still live there?" she asked Charles, but looking at William.  
"Eh, yes," he said awkward, feeling the tension in the air.  
"Well, that's nice," Lizzie snapped, and she turned around, leaving three astonished people.  
She dissapeared in the crowd, crying a little bit.  
"Lizzie?" a voice asked. She looked up and saw the worried face of George Wickham.  
"What's wrong, Liz?"  
"Nothing," she quickly said, "I'm just a little bit sick."  
"Ah," he nodded.  
"Lizzie, we were look-" Kitty came out of nothing and stopped taling as she saw Fritz. Lydia walked behind her.  
"This is George, a journalist," Lizzie introduced him, "George, these are my two youngest sisters, Kitty and Lydia."  
"Nice to meet you," Kitty giggled. Suddenly someone tapped on Lizzie's shoulder. She turned around and saw Jane.  
"Come here, Lizzie," she said softly. Lizzie followed her, and they walked out of the crowd.  
"What's wrong, sissy?" Jane asked, "you've been acting quite weird the last few days. Is everything alright?"  
Lizzie looked at her. The lights of the stage shone on her sister's hair and made it glow. She listened to the music.

_"I don't know anymore what to feel  
what do do – what is real"_

"Lizzie?"

_"I fight against the temptation, but can I resist  
it's so temptating to drown in your eyes  
but I can't do it, because of all the secrets and lies"_

Lizzie started to cry again. Jane immediately hugged her.  
"Hey, what's wrong?"

_"I'm dying inside,  
I try to hide  
but you never leave me alone  
and I feel so lonely on my own  
every minute you're in my head  
making me even more and more sad"_

"It's just that..." Lizzie didn't know what to say. She only knew that she was safe, in her sister's arms.  
And that was all she wanted to know. For now.


	4. Upside Down

Read and REVIEW please! Thank you :)  
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_4. Upside Down_

Lizzie jogged in the park of Longbourn, as she saw Lydia, sitting on the grass.  
"Hey Lyd, what's up?" she asked, as she stopped jogging.  
"Nothing."  
Lizzie remembered the last few days, when she had said exactly the same thing to Jane, everytime her sister  
asked her what was going on.  
"Are you sure?"  
"As sure as... whatever."  
"A monkey?"  
"Why a monkey?"  
"You don't like monkey's? Well, then let it be a donkey."  
"Shut up," and Lydia stood up. Lizzie saw a few tears rolling down her cheek and felt guilty.  
"Sorry Lyds, I'm just a bit giggly, I always am when I stop jogging."  
"Well, then don't stop, but run!" Lydia said angry.  
"I won't leave, if you don't tell me what's up."  
"You're so stubborn!"  
"I know, and I'm proud of it."  
"Alright, alright... George left town."  
Lizzie frowned.  
"So what?"  
"Well, I met him yesterday, and I quite, eh, liked him, so..." she blushed.  
"He's the new Jesse?" Lizzie asked, laughing.  
"No, no, this is... different, you know."  
Lizzie looked at her sister's red face, and to be honest – she didn't.

Twenty minutes later she came home. Her mother was standing in the garden, talking to her father."Really, Mr Bennet, Annie Jackson told me that the cousing of her sister's neighbour-"  
"Hello Lizzie!" he greeted.  
"Mr Bennet! Are you listening?" his wife asked, looking at him sharply.  
"Hey dad, hey mom," she answered. Silently laughing, she walked inside, where Jane was writing in her diary,  
while Mary played the piano.  
"Lizzie," the first one said, spotting her, "I need to talk to you. Something happened."  
"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing's _wrong_," Jane giggled, and she pulled Lizzie on the chair next to her.  
"Listen Liz, and don't laugh..."  
"I won't."  
"Good. You remember Charles?"  
"Bingley? The guy we met yesterday?"  
"Of course! Well, ehm... After you, uh, calmed down and Kitty cheered you up, I went back to him. We talked,  
and we had a really great time, and, well... I think I've fallen in love with him," Jane whispered.  
For an instant, Lizzie didn't know what to say, then she grinned.  
"That's great!"  
"You think so?" Jane asked, with twinkling eyes.  
"Yeah, I do, but when are you gonna see him again? He lives in Manchester! And besides, does he like you too?"  
"He's stays at Darcy's quite often and kinda asked for my number," Jane tittered. Lizzie looked at her, amazed. Normally  
Kitty and Lydia were the ones that giggled and tittered, but she liked the new behaviour of her elder sister. Jane seemed  
to be so happy, it was almost contagious.  
"Did he already call you?" Lizzie curious asked.  
"This morning," Jane admitted, "and... he asked me out. And I said yes."  
"You're going out on a date?" Lizzie was astonished. She never thought Jane would say yes to a man she only knew for twelve hours.  
"We're going out tomorrow. I know it's soon, but the sooner the better," Jane laughed, "I really like him, Liz. I really do."  
Lizzie looked at the smiling face of her sister.  
"I know you do, sis," she whispered. She knew exactly how it felt to fall head over heels in love.  
"Ehm," she searched for another subject, "I gotta call Eve. She wasn't at C.U.T.'s performance, I'm wondering why."  
"Okay. Liz?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Do you wanna help me, you know, getting dressed up for the date and stuff?"  
"Sure," Lizzie smiled.  
"Date?" Mary turned around. The piece of Bach she had been playing was over and now Jane got her full attention.  
"Oh, that's nothing."  
"A _date_?"  
Lizzie walked to the phone and called her best friend.  
"Dawson speaking."  
"Hey Jesse, Lizzie over here. Is Eve at home?"  
"Yeah, she is. One second, I'll call her."  
"Thanks."  
She waited.  
"Hello, Eve here."  
"Hey Eve, it's Lizzie."  
"Lizzie! How was C.U.T.?"  
"Great, they totally rocked! But where were you?"  
"I'm ill. Yeah, great timing, I know. Mum says I have to stay in bed for two days, but I don't want that. Mikey and I are going  
out tonight, and I really wanna go."  
"_Mikey_? O my god, Eve, you're getting scarier every day."  
"I know. I'm just happy."  
"Well, you're not the only one," Lizzie said, looking at Jane, who was trying to avoid Mary's tricky questions.  
"Huh?"  
"Jane's got a date."  
"Jane? Wow!"  
"Yeah... I'm really happy for her, she looks so cheerful."  
"But you're also a bit jealous?"  
"Yeah, well, no."  
"What?"  
"Yes, I'm jealous she's got a date and I don't, no, I don't wanna go out with _her_ date."  
"Who is it?"  
"A certain Charles. She met him yesterday."  
"That's so- Jesse, stop doing that!"  
Lizzie heared some noise and than Eve's voice again.  
"Jesse has to make a call, he says it's important."  
"Right. Well, I guess I won't see you the day after tomorrow, at school?"  
"Maybe you won't, maybe you will. It depends on my mum. Whatever. See ya!"  
"Bye."  
Lizzie hung up the phone and sighed. She noticed Lydia, who walked into the house and quickly went to her bedroom, crying.  
It seemed this day was the opposite of their usual one, with a crying Lydia, Kitty nowhere to find and a dating Jane.


	5. Never Unexpect The Unexpected

Read and review please! Thank you :)

_5. Never Unexpect The Unexpected_

It was a month after the performance of C.U.T. and Lizzie was styding, when Jane walked into their room.  
"Hey Janie," Lizzie greeted.  
"Hey." Her sister sat down and looked really happy.  
"Charles is coming to town again!"  
"Wow, that's nice," Lizzie smiled, but she also frowned. She tried to avoid everything that had to do with William Darcy, but that was impossible.  
"You're really okay with me dating one of William's best friends?" Jane asked friendly.  
"Yes, I am. I mean, you're dating Charles and not Darcy."  
"Liz..."  
"I still don't understand," Lizzie exclaimed, and she put down her book. "When I look at him, I don't see someone who's to horny to think about contraception!"  
"Even when people think about it, it can go wrong."  
"I know, but-"  
"I understand. William also doesn't really seem to be someone who runs away."  
"No..."  
"Did you tell your classmates about it?"  
"No,I didn't - only Eve."  
Jane looked intense at her sister. A week ago Lizzie started talking about what George had said and now she knew everything. She frowned a little.  
"Liz, are you still in love with him?"  
"No... yes," Lizzie confessed. She flushed. "I know it's stupid, but everytime he answeres the teacher or walks behind me, I feel so, so, so..."  
"I know what you mean, you're just in love," Jane smiled. "And..." she hesitated, "that someone is a father, doesn't have to mean you can't be in love with him."  
"He left it behind, Jane! That little kid, that little baby, has to grow up without a father!" Lizzie angry said.  
"I know and I totally agree with you," Jane quickly said, "it's just that you've been sad for a month now and I don't like it to see you like that. And people do make mistakes."  
"Some mistakes are unforgivable."  
"I-" Jane stopped talking, because Mary ran into the room Jane and Lizzie shared.  
"O my god!" she yelled, "o my bloody god!"  
Lizzie wasn't really moved, because it was usual to see a Mary that totally freaked out.  
"What's up, Mary-Lou?" she asked, while looking at her book again.  
"I heard... I heard... Lydia... Bloody hell!" she yelled again.  
"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked, still not looking up.  
"Yeah Mares, what's the matter?" Jane said.  
"Lydia is pregnant!"  
Lizzie looked up so quickly, her neck hurted.

"This isn't true," Jane mumbled, while the three of them walked to the garden, were Mary had overheard the conversation between Lydia and Kitty. Lizzie heard their voices, and she called their names. They immediately stopped talking, but it didn't make any sense.  
"Lydia!" Jane said loudly, "is it true?"  
Kitty looked scared and Lydia had the look of someone who's tired and full of adrenaline at the same moment.  
"Is what true?" she asked. She tried to look innocent, but Lizzie saw her red eyes. She had cried.  
"Lydia," she said grave, "Mary heard the two of you talking... Are you pregnant?"  
Their gazes met and Lydia slowly nodded.  
"Sorry... I didn't mean... I thought it wouldn't happen... I'm sorry!" she suddenly started crying and Kitty hold her tight.  
"Shhh," she said softly. Lizzie was totally shocked. Next to her, she heard Jane whisper: "O my god."  
"O my god," Lizzie beamed. "Lydia..."  
Her younger sister looked at her, with crying eyes. Lizzie looked at Kitty, but she shook her head.  
"She told me five minutes ago she's pregnant, that's all," she softly said.  
"Lydia, when did it happen?" Jane asked.  
Lydia shook her head, but at the look of Jane's face she started to talk: "During the performance of C.U.T. I met this guy... Sorry!" she said in a high voice.  
"Who's the father?" Lizzie asked. Lydia gave no answer.  
"Don't be so stupid," Mary snapped at her younger sister. Lizzie watched her: she looked panicked. Jane looked angry and Kitty looked scared. Lizzie didn't know how she felt – at the moment, she felt nothing. She didn't know what to feel.  
She turned back to Lydia.  
"Please tell us," she said. "You made a big mistake, Lydia, and we'll come back to that later... but tell us who's the father, since when you know and... what's gonna happen next."  
Lizzie had no idea where her practical way of acting came from, but she was glad it was there.  
Lydia sighed. Then she started to speak, and for the first time in her life, Lizzie was thankfull Lydia was someone who easy started talking.  
"I found out a week ago. My period, well, you know, so I buyed a pregnancy test and, well, I found out." She took a deep breath and continued: "And Liz, you know the father."  
"I do?"   
"Yeah, it's... well, it's George. George Wickham." Lydia started crying again, and Lizzie turned around.  
"O my," she whispered. She felt Jane's arm around her shoulders and she also started to cry. It seemed to be the only thing she could and wanted to do.  
"What are you gonna do now?" Jane asked Lydia.  
"I don't know, Jane," Lydia looked her straight in the eyes, "I really don't know."  
The five sisters felt silent, and then Lydia stood up.  
"Well, I guess I'm gonna tell mum and dad," she said firmly.  
"You're crazy!" Kitty exclaimed, but Jane shook her head.  
"The truth has to be told, Kit. And by the way... Do you think they won't notice if Lydia goes to the hospital to let remove the baby?"  
"To what!" Lydia yelled.  
"Please!" Lizzie yelled back, "please! Calm down! What's gonna happen... we'll see. You have to tell mum and dad first, you're right."  
Lydia walked to the house, leaving them behind.  
"I have to study. I've got a test tomorrow," Lizzie said and she also left.  
_What the bloody hell is happening_, she thought, dizzy and shocked.


	6. The Happy Family

This chapter was difficult to write, I hope you like it... and I also hope you review.

_6. The Happy Family_

"Lizzie?"Lizzie didn't answer.  
"Lizzie!"  
"What?" she impatiently asked.  
"It's mum," Jane answered. Lizzie sighed and walked with her sister to their parent's room.  
"Mum?" she asked, carefully knocking on the wooden door.  
"Please, leave me _alone_," their mother's voice sadly said.  
Lizzie tried to open the door, but it was locked.  
"Why did you think I called you?" Jane whispered.  
"I dunno, maybe you wanted to convince me Lydia can't keep the baby?" Lizzie whispered back.  
"Open the door, we'll talk about that later."  
"Mum?" Lizzie asked again, "could you please open the door?"  
"_No_, I can't."  
"Mum, you gotta unlock the door, you're not the only one who's shocked."  
She heard some noice and then the door opened. She saw her mother, who sat down on her bed again.  
"I'm a _bad_ mother," she said in a low voice.  
"No, you're not," Jane said, and she hugged her mother.  
"Absolutely not, it was Lydia who was a little... soon, not you," Lizzie beamed.  
"Soon! _Soon_! My little girl slept with someone, while she is fifteen years old! _Fifteen_!" her mother yelled.  
"And she is _pregnant_! At her _fifteenth_!" She started to cry again, "_what_ do I have to do? Mr Bennet doesn't want to talk   
and I can't handle this on my _own_!"  
"Mum, what's your opinion?" Lizzie asked. Her mother looked at her.  
"I 've got no idea, I need Mr Bennet," she softly answered. Lizzie saw the tears running down her cheeks and she stood up.  
"Jane?"  
Jane looked at her in a way of 'I can't leave mum like that!', but when she saw Lizzie's face, she also stood up.  
"I'll be right back, mum," she said. Their mother didn't even hear her, she was too busy with crying and being sad.  
"What?" Jane asked, when they stood in the small hall and Lizzie closed the of their mother's bedroom.  
"What do you think?" she whispered angry, "from the moment Lydia told us she's pregnant, yesterday, you're being negative!  
That doesn't really help matters!"  
"What has to be helped? It's crystal clear Lydia can't take care of herself, don't even think about a baby!"  
"Give her a chance! Don't you see the changes? She's acting like a real grown up!"  
"Yeah, the last twenty-four hours. On which side are you, actually?"  
"Im on Lydia's," Lizzie firmly said. Jane frowned and looked at her like she was dissapointed.  
"Don't look like that," Lizzie snapped. Since Jane had met Charles Bingley, she had become more confident, in a good way.  
But this was the first time in their lives the two eldest Bennet sister stood on _very_ different sides.  
"Did Charles tell you you've gotta have an own opinion?" she asked in a sweet voice. Jane froze and then started to cry.  
"I can't believe you said that about Charlie! This is not his point of view, but mine!" she ran into their bedroom and slammed the door.  
"Great," Lizzie mumbled. Now she could not only hear her mother cry, but also Jane. She felt terrible and walked downstairs,  
where Mary was playing a song on the piano, that Lizzie made feel even more sad, althought it was a beautiful piece.  
As like she could hear Lizzie's thoughts, Mary turned around when she finished it.  
"'Fast zu ernst' from Robert Schumann," she said. Lizzie nodded and wanted to leave the room. When she had reached the door,  
she turned around.  
"Mares?"  
"Yes?"  
"What do you think about the whole situation?"  
Mary didn't answer, but started to play 'Fast zu ernst' again. The music almost made Lizzie cry, and she quickly left. She  
looked for her dad and found him in the barn.  
"Dad?" she softly asked. He looked up.  
"Lizzie!" he smiled.  
"Mum has freaked out."  
His smile dissapeared and he frowned.  
"Lizzie-"  
"Dad, what's gonna happen? What do you think?" Lizzie asked. She was desperate and needed someone to talk to.  
"I think the weather's great and that I need to walk for a while," her father simply said, and he stepped out of the barn.  
"Dad!" Lizzie exclaimed, but he was already gone. She felt angry and walked mad into the garden. Lydia and Kitty were  
sitting under the tree.  
"Right, now I've seen the whole crazy Bennet family," Lizzie mumbled and she snapped at Lydia: "Was it that difficult to keep  
you're hands of and just wait?"  
Lydia stood up, with a confident look on her face.  
"Like I said yesterday, Liz, I don't really know what to do – but it would be great to get some support. Mum, dad and Jane  
seem to hate me."  
"They don't hate you. Look, you'll get my support..." Lizzie searched for the right words, "I think you should keep the baby,  
if you're sure you want that. You made a mistake and you can't let them kill your kid, only because you were the one that did  
something stupid... but you have to be really sure about it."  
Lydia looked at her, and Lizzie didn't knew what the look did mean. Kitty stood up and walked away.  
"Kit?" Lydia asked, but the youngest girl didn't aswer.  
"Well, I guess I also go," Lydia said, frowning. "And thanks, Liz."  
Lizzie saw the weird look on her sister's face, and she realized they never really talked. _Talked_, like she and Jane did. Jane...  
While Lydia opened the door of the house to go inside, the sound of Schumann's music reached Lizzie's ears.


	7. Everybody Has Their Own Truths

More than 800 hits and only 5 (!) reviews... I feel dissapointed, people. But of course I'm not talking to...  
... Cancat90: you're going to find out soon, I promise!  
... Roseofthegate: thank you! I always use a dictionary, to be honest..  
... Jedi X-man Serena Kenobi: thanks!

_  
7. Everybody Has Their Own Truths_

"Shut up, Jane!" Lydia yelled, and she left the living room. Jane sighed and also left. Mary started playing the piano again, another piece of Schumann. It was as like she was possessed by the composer, but Lizzie knew it was just her way to handle a complicated situation.  
Lizzie, who was sitting on the table, looked through the window and saw her dad, walking to the barn. She jumped of the table and left the house.  
"Dad!" she called.  
"Yes, Lizzie?" her father looked up and Lizzie saw his tired face, which made her hesitate for an instant. But there was no excuse, she realized, he already got off scot-free two days ago.  
"We need to talk," she said soflty, and he nodded.  
"Come in, dear," he said, and they walked into the barn. Her father sat down on a wooden chair he had placed there, years ago. He was in the barn often, and Lizzie knew that the whole time, he sat down on that chair.  
"What's wrong, Liz?" he asked friendly, and his words made Lizzie explode.  
"What's wrong!" she yelled, "you ask me what's wrong! You are wrong, because you don't say a word and just let things run their course! Your daughter is pregnant, and you walk into the barn and sit down and let us do everything! The fights, the argues, the discussions, you are no part of it, while you're our father, for god's sake!"  
She took a second to breathe and her father interrupted her: "Lizzie-"  
"No, no Lizzie! Please dad," suddenly, she started to cry, "we need you!"  
She looked at him, and she realized she needed him, more than ever before.  
"Please daddy," she whispered. She expected he would say something, but the only thing he did was standing up. He walked around the barn and then came in again.  
"Well, what shall I say, Lizzie?" he softly spoke, and Lizzie stared at him in disbelief.  
"Are you kidding me?" she slowly asked, and he looked at her. She saw his face, and she turned around. Before leaving the barn, she looked back once again.  
"You're the most unresponsible dad I know."  
She saw the hurted expression on his face, and she felt hurted by her own words too. But she couldn't do anything about it, it had to be said.

"Where's Lydia?" Lizzie asked Kitty. Her youngest sister shrugged."I don't know. Eve called, by the way." "When?"  
"A few minutes ago, I thought you were in town or something."  
"No, I had a conversation with dad."  
Their gazes met and for the first time, Lizzie fully realized Kitty was getting older. She finally seemed to understand more serious things.  
Lizzie grabbed the phone, and called her friend.  
"Eve Dawson speaking."  
"Hey, it's Liz. I heard you called?"  
"Yeah, I did. I just wanted to know how things are."  
"O, well..."  
"Has Lydia decided?"  
"No, she hasn't. Uh, I gotta go," Lizzie quickly said.  
"Oh, okay," Eve slowly said, "hopefully I'll see you tomorrow."  
"Yeah. See you."  
Lizzie hung up. She had always told Eve everything, but now she didn't want to tell Eve about all the stuff that was going on. It felt too private – like it was only meant for the Bennet-family.  
"Are you going to school again, tomorrow?" Kitty asked. Lizzie looked at her.  
"I don't know. I haven't been to school since... the news, and I don't feel like-"  
The bell rang and Lizzie walked to the door. She wondered who it was. She unlocked the door,opened it and saw the face of the one and only William Darcy.  
She was totally stunned.  
"What are you doing here?" she finally asked. She felt a crazy madness coming up.  
"Kitty told me about the whole situation and I wanna tell you how sorry I am," William said in a worried voice. His face looked more handsome than before, and that only got Lizzie more and more angry.  
"I should have told you about George," he continued, but Lizzie stepped forward.  
"_You_ should have told me about _him_?" she asked in a dangerous way.  
"Yes, I should have, he's a bastard and I didn't know but I didn't tell you and-"  
"Who's a bastard?" she yelled. "You are! Did you forgot your own baby? Your own child? The kid you left? And its mother? You are such a bastard and he is too! He also left and Lydia can't find him, he just dissapeared! I guess you're a professional when it comes to dissapearing, so probably you learned him how to do everything!"  
She was so angry, she didn't see the strange expression on his face. When she stopped, he awkwardly asked: "What the hell are you talking about?"  
Lizzie just stared at him.  
"Who did tell you I've got a child?"  
"George."  
"Ah... And he always tells the truth, eh?"  
For only an instant, William looked at her like no one else had ever did. Then he turned around and just walked away.  
Lizzie just stood there and afther a few minutes, Kitty walked into the hall.  
"Liz, what's up?" she asked worriedly.  
"When did you go to William?"  
"Two days ago," Kitty confessed with a blush on her cheeks, "When you came to me and Lydia, when we sat near the tree. She told me William knew George, and that she had tried to ask William where George was. It seemed to me that I had to tell Darcy Lydia's pregnant, maybe he could help us... He said he would try, and that he would come as soon as possible. He first wanted to come immediately, but I didn't think that was a good idea, 'cause you don't like him. Why, exactly?"  
"I'm in love with him," Lizzie simply answered. She started to cry again, because she had the idea she had been very wrong about acrucial subject.


	8. Let's Get Started

**/Read and review please! And everyone who left a review: thank you so much/  
**JaysHeartsDesire: I was planning to update sooner, but I got the flu... but here you got another chapter!  
RoseOfTheGate: thank you, thank you, thank, thank you! Your compliments make me flush, really ;)  
GeeAMouse (an.): Hm, I understand. I put a lot dialogue in it to keep up the pace, but I'll try to give some more background.  
A (an.): It was really difficult to write about Mr Bennet, so I'm glad someone liked it! And Darcy's showing up again in chapter 10...**  
/This story is going to be 14 chapters long, by the way./**

_8. Let's Get Started_

"Please, don't tell me you've forgotten the shopping list..." Jane looked amused and angry at the same time.  
"I'm sorry!" a desperate Lizzie said, searching everywhere. "I swear I put it in my pocket!"  
"Yeah, yeah, and now it's gone. Well, then we've got to go back, I guess. I don't know what mum wants us to buy."  
"O, but I do! A few things, at least. I mean, there were like eight things on it, and I can remember... eggs, carrots, flour, Russian salad and meatballs."  
"That makes five," Jane frowned.  
"I know, but we'll manage. It such a waste to go back."  
"You've got a point," Jane smiled, and they walked into the supermarket. "I guess mum also needs potatoes, eh?"  
"Potatoes, that's it!" Lizzie exclaimed.  
"Look out, Lizzie, you almost hit me," a voice behind them said. They spun around and saw a grinning Charles Bingley.  
"Charlie!" Jane also grinned, and they kissed each other. Lizzie coughed and they let go of each other.  
"Why don't you go to the post office, Liz," Jane said emphatic.  
"Are you sure you'll manage? Carrots can be really heavy," Lizzie answered with an innocent look on her face.  
"Then I'll carry them," Charles laughed.  
"While you're carrying them, you can explain to me what you're doing in Longbourn," Jane smiled.  
"William's parents have been married for fifty years, so there's gonna be a big party tonight."  
"Right. Bye," Lizzie quickly said and she left the building. On the street she looked around. What next?   
"Liz!"  
For the second time this day, Lizzie spun around and this time she saw Eve.  
"Hey," Lizzie slowly said. She remembered the laborious phone call and she guessed Eve also did.  
"What are you doing here?" her friend asked.  
"O, eh, Jane and I were going to score some carrots, but then we ran into Charles Bingley..."  
"Ah," Eve grinned. "Your sister's still in love with him?"  
"Yes, she is," Lizzie smiled, "she's quite happy."  
"That's nice. And... well, no shit anymore, Liz. What's going on with you? Our last phone call, yesterday, was so weird, like we were strangers," Eve frowned and it was as like she was trying to look right through Lizzie.  
"I was just... I'm sorry!" Lizzie whispered. She felt horrible. She wanted to tell Eve all her troubles, but it felt like she had to solve them on her own.  
"Things aren't going well," Lizzie continued, "and I guess I need some time for myself. It's not that I don't wanna tell you, but my head needs some rest, you know. Every minute there's this chaos at home and-"  
"It's okay, you don't have to render account," Eve smiled, "take your time, and if you need me, I'll be there."  
"You're the greatest," Lizzie softly said, and they hugged.  
"Eh..." Eve looked at her watch, "Actually, I was on my way to the hotel and if you would excuse me..."  
"Sure, no problem," Lizzie smiled, "bye!"  
"See ya, girl!" Eve waved and she walked away. Lizzie waited a few more minutes and then Jane and Charles came out of the supermarket.  
"There you are," Jane smiled, and Lizzie winked.  
"Well, I think I should go," Charles said, and he gave Jane a kiss on her cheek, "as I said, we'll talk to each other soon, honey," and then he left.  
"_Honey_?"  
"Yeah, honey. There's nothing wrong with a good honey," Jane blushed, and while they got their bikes, Lizzie thought she also wanted someone who called her 'honey'. She didn't like the nickname, but it meant that there was someone who cared for her and... loved her. Did Charles love Jane? Was love not a too big word for that? Although... they had met so many times, they had been on so many dates... Lizzie didn't know.  
Did she love William? She barely knew him... Although... They had talked in the class, before George had told her all the lies... They had laughed together... But love? No, that was a too big word. She had fallen head over heals in love with him, but loving him was a different story.  
_Where's the line?_ Lizzie thought, _when does being in love become loving? _She didn't know, and she realized she would never know. Her heart would tell her, when the time was right.  
She sighed. Feelings were so difficult. They make your life a misery, but also a paradise.  
"Lizzie? We're here," Jane smiled. "You looked like you were thinking about other things."  
"Yeah, I was," Lizzie slowly said. They were home, and they parked their bycicles in the garden.  
"How are you and Charles doing, actually?" Lizzie asked.  
"We're doing great, to be honest," Jane eyes twinkled and Lizzie started to laugh.  
"I'm glad you're so happy, Jane."  
"Me too. And I hope you'll find also someone who makes you just as happy. I guess you will, you're still young," Jane smiled.  
"Still? And you aren't anymore?" Lizzie roared with laughter, "you're two years older than me!"  
Jane also started to laugh, "you're still attending school!"  
"So what? I'm seventeen years old!"  
"And I'm nineteen," Jane grinned.  
"Jane... Do you love Charles?" Lizzie suddenly asked. Her sister looked her in the eyes.  
"No, I don't," she said quiet, "I'm really in love with him, but it's no love. Not yet, anyway."  
"Good for you," Lizzie smiled.  
"Hey," a voice said.  
"This is the third time I've got to spin around," Lizzie said, without looking up.  
"Third?" Jane asked, "second, right?"  
"No, I met Eve on the street."  
"Ah..."  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lydia said, "but I've decided."  
Lizzie slowly turned around and saw her younger sister, standing with her hands on her hips. She had a determined look on her face.  
"I'm going to keep my baby."


	9. Lavender Dreams

**Yay, tomorrow it's Christmas! I wish everyone a very mary happy xmas and a very mary happy 2006!**  
ArwenEvenstar83: two brand new chapters, here's your update!  
Anonymous (an.): 'B-d'? I don't know what you mean :S Could you explain? 'Coz I never censor my character's language!  
Kates Master's Sister: hm, you've got a nice sister... Haha, lol ;) Thank you!  
WhiteCamellia: Et voila, an update!  
**Read and review please - it would be really appreciated ;)**

_9. Lavender Dreams_

Lizzie walked into the garden. Her head needed the silence of the calm place with all its trees, flowers and bushes. They had a large garden, especially when she thought of the fact that they lived in a town.  
Dinner had been a drama – mother hadn't been able to cook and had locked herself up in her bedroom, father had locked himself up in the barn and Jane had baked some pancakes, telling Lydia that she wouldn't manage it to handle a baby, while Kitty and Lizzie had been enthusiast.  
"Certainty," Kitty had told Lizzie, "Finally. That was the most horrible thing about the whole situation; we had no idea what was gonna happen."  
Mary had been playing another piece of Schumann. Lizzie didn't know her opinion, but the music sounded quite happy.  
Lizzie froze, she saw Lydia sitting on the grass.  
"Hello," she carefully said, and Lydia looked up. She smiled.  
Lizzie sat down next to her, and they looked together at the lavender bush, that was in front of them.  
"I like lavendel," Lydia said.  
"Me too," Lizzie beamed.  
Silence. They smelt the green grass, they saw the purple lavender and they heard a chirping bird. It was a warm October evening and Lizzie waited untill Lydia would say something. So many had happened the last few weeks... And she had grown up. And her younger sister certainly had.  
"I can't think of good names," Lydia suddenly said.  
"You still got something like seven and a half moths to go," Lizzie smiled.  
"I know, but I already want to know good names," Lydia smiled back. "I went to the docter, this afternoon, together with Kitty. He said Baby's okay."  
"That's cool," Lizzie was glad to hear her future nephew or niece was healthy.  
"Yes, it is. Kenneth."  
"Huh?"  
"Kenneth, would that be a nice name?"  
"No, I mean... Kenneth Bennet, that doesn't sound right," Lizzie shook her head, "other options for a boy?"  
"James, Craig, Daniel and Philip."  
"Hm, nice," Lizzie smiled. "Let's think... which one do you like the most?"  
"That's the problem, I don't know!" Lydia laughed, "but I guess Craig and James."  
"Well, then call your son... James Craig Bennet."  
Lydia clapped in her hands, "that sounds nice! But what's with Daniel and Philip?"  
"You're the mother, you can decide," Lizzie smiled, "this is only a suggestion."  
"I know, but it's so difficult."  
Lydia softly sang a song Lizzie didn't know.  
"You don't have to decide right now, Lyds."  
"James Daniel Bennet," Lydia answered, and Lizzie smiled again. "That's a beautiful name."  
"Yes, it is, I like it. Now the girl..." Lydia bit on her lip, "I was thinking of Susan Grace."  
"Susan Grace Bennet..." Lizzie echoed, "that sounds great! James Daniel or Susan Grace, brilliant!"  
Lydia flushed.  
"Thank you, Liz," she softly said, "for everything."  
Their gazes met and the earnesty in Lydia's eyes was touching.  
"You're welcome," Lizzie responded.  
"It's so weird, having this little thing in my belly," Lydia said, after a while.  
"Yeah, that must be strange," Lizzie tried to imagined how it must be like. "Do you feel sick and stuff?"  
"Only in the morning," Lydia grinned. "It's a small sacrifice, because about a few moths I've got a beautiful son or daughter. I wonder how it looks then, maybe it has a birthmark on its back, just as me. That would be cool."  
Lizzie looked at the lavender bush again. This was what she had been scared for – it seemed Lydia was still too light-hearted.  
"But that's one of the only cool things, because it's gonna be hard," Lydia continued, "I'm sixteen when I'll give birth to Baby. That's young, younger than I'd planned. But I'm gonna manage, I know I will. This afternoon, after visiting the doctor, I went to our parents. Dad, mum and I had this conversation... I'll stay at home. After my pregnancy I'll attend school again. They'll take care of Baby, and when I'll pass my exams, I'll buy my own place. I'll find work, maybe not the greatest job in the world, but good enough to make money and have time for Baby. It's not like I'll get the chance to be lazy," she laughed.  
Lizzie looked at her sister in amazement, and then hugged her.  
"Hey, Liz, what's this?" Lydia asked, surprised and laughing.  
"Not only mum and dad will take care of Baby, Lydia," Lizzie smiled, "I'll also do. And I'm sure the others also will. Jane still has to get used to your pregnancy, but I know she will be just as excited, she just needs a little bit more time."  
"I know, she's only concerned," Lydia smiled. "I can understand that. And it was incredibly stupid to go to bed with Wickham... but I've learned my lesson. I really have. Unbelievable," she shook her head, slightly laughing, "it's only two months ago that Kitty and I fancied Jesse Dawson."  
Lizzie also started laughing, "he never liked that, Eve told me."  
"Kitty still fancies him, to be honest," Lydia grinned.  
They talked and laughed the whole evening, and the peacefull feeling Lizzie had, made everything only more and more beautiful.


	10. Keeping It Up

**Hello everyone! From 28 'till 30 December I'll be in London (so great:D), but I'm planning to finish this story before New Year's Eve.**  
JaysHeartsDesire: Yeah, I'm feeling better :) Here you got a Darcy-Lizzie moment... And next chapter will only excist of Darcy-Lizzie! (I'm trying to make you curious... does it work:P)  
ArwenEvenstar83: Alstublieft. Here you've got an update :)  
Kates Masters Sister: I wanted to show people that Lydia has a very nice side ;)  
Silverwind24: I'll try! Thank you!  
**It's Christmas (yay!), so please be nice and leave a review! Thank you :) **

_10. Keeping It Up_

"Lizzie, you're back!" Eve exclaimed. Lizzie smiled and together they walked to their lockers.  
"I told you yesterday on the phone," Lizzie said.  
"Yeah, but it's still great," Eve grinned, "I was kinda lonely on my own."  
"Lonely? While Michael's in the same class?"  
"We're not doing so well," Eve started to speak softly, "Saturday he told me he had no time to go to the cinema, and we kinda started to argue... We've argued before. Actually, we argue a lot."  
"Aw," Lizzie felt sorry for her friend. "Maybe you've gotta talk about it. With him, I mean, without fighting. Sort the problems out!"  
"Did you really think I haven't already tried?" Eve looked opened her locker to get her books. "It didn't help. Michael said there's nothing wrong, that I'm imaging the problems."  
"So he's saying you're the problem?" Lizzie asked amused, but Eve shook her head.  
"Don't laugh, Liz. This is no fun, this is serious. I like Mike, I really do, but what if we're just not meant to be?"  
"Then you'll find out. But give it a try and don't give up too soon," Lizzie warned. "By the way... don't we've got maths?"  
"Ah, I almost forgot!" Eve quickly closed her locker and they ran to the classroom.

"Sorry sir," Eve said, when they came in. The lesson had already started.  
"It's okay, but please sit down," Mr Hoffman answered. While they sat down, Lizzie noticed several people looking at her, in a way she definately didn't like. She wondered why.  
She quickly looked aside and saw William. He was listening to Hoffman, while his neighbour Kenneth was drawing some cartoons in his notebook. Kenneth... Lizzie smiled when she thought of the conversation she had with Lydia, in the garden. Her younger sister had considered to call her future baby Kenneth – of course! Lizzie couldn't understand why she hadn't seen it coming.  
"I guess everyone knows about Lydia," she whispered. Eve looked up, with a friendly look on her face.  
"What else did you expect?"  
"I forgot, actually," Lizzie confessed. "What do you think they're gonna say?"  
"I don't know, we'll see."  
Lizzie smiled when she heard the 'we'. Eve was always there for her, but it had never occurred to her that clearly as in the last few days.  
While she was smiling, a small piece of paper landed on her table.  
"What does it say?" Eve whispered. Lizzie unfolded it and read: _'Hey Bennet, how does it feel, to have a sister that sleeps with everyone?'  
_"That makes no sense at all!" Eve angry said. Lizzie looked around and saw Britanny and Rita watching her and giggling.  
"Look," she said in a low voice.  
"Of course, Brit and Rit, we should have known... our sweet lill' angels," Eve said, sarcastic.  
Lizzie quickly wrote also a message on the paper: _'What d'you mean by that! Just go away and get a life.'_  
"Good job," Eve nodded, and she threw the paper back. She looked sharply at Lizzie.  
"Aren't you mad?"  
Lizzie looked at her – she never heard such a dumb question in her whole life, but she could understand Eve was confused. She didn't show it, but yes, of course she was angry. She only didn't know what to do... Her sister had done something incredibly stupid, and she couldn't blame other people to think that. But the remark of Britanny and Rita was rude and Lizzie wanted to defend her sister.  
"May I please have your attention?" Mr Hoffman loudly said, and everyone who hadn't been already listening -a lot of people- looked up.  
"The next few lessons," he continued, "you're gonna work in pairs. I want you to make a poster about a famous man or woman with a head for mathematics. Pytagoras, Descartes... There are enough choices! Pick and choose, and make a nice poster. It'll get a mark."  
"O, please sir, that's so sucking," Archie exclaimed. The whole class nodded, but Hoffman shook his head.  
"I don't wanna hear any complaining... Now let me see... I'll make the pairs. Everybody listen, please: Eve Dawson with Rita Cabot-"  
"He must be kidding!" Eve whispered, "I don't wanna make a poster with that bitch! I hate her!"  
"And she hates you," Lizzie tried to hide a grin, but she couldn't manage.  
"And you're a bitch too, don't laugh!" Eve exclaimed, but now she was also laughing.  
"... Kenneth Rivers with Archie Steele..."  
"I wonder who's gonna be your 'mate'. Britanny?" Eve grinned, but Lizzie carefully listened to Hoffman. She started to count everyone who hand't been already called, but by then he already reached the end of the list.  
"... and William Darcy with Lizzie Bennet."  
"What?" Lizzie whispered. Her plan had been ignoring Darcy untill the end of the day, but that was impossible.  
"Good luck," Eve grinned and Lizzie grabbed her gear together. She walked to William's table.  
"Eh, can I sit next to you?" she asked. Kenneth had already left.  
"Of course," he said, and she saw something that looked like a smile. She smiled back and hoped he would forget the whole emberassing conversation they had had before.  
"Which one shall we choose?" she asked.  
"Hippocrates, maybe?" William suggested. "You know, the Greek from the circle and the square."  
"I know," Lizzie smiled, "and that sounds fine by me."  
You stupid girl, she thought, can't you think of anything better? What will he think about you? Nothing good!  
He looked at her, and just when she started to be nervous, he smiled back.


	11. How To Hit Back

**Hope you all had a MERRY Christmas yes Rose, I learned my lesson ;) !**  
Kates Master's Sister: Nothing wrong with nosy people ;) I live in the Netherlands. Here's LB/WD, but it's no fluff... Sorry! ;)Roseofthegate: Yeah, I like updating :) Thank you! And... OMG, you're right! What a stupid mistake!  
Cancat90: Don't I always update soon? ;) I guess this is the last update for I go to London... Maybe this afternoon I can write another chapter, but I'm not sure...  
**Please leave a review after reading! I just love your reviews... Thank you!**

_11. How To Hit Back_

The bell rang and Jane said: "I'll get it!"  
Lizzie quickly walked after her sister, but Jane had already opened the door. William stood on the doorstep and Lizzie smiled.  
"Hey William," she run with her hand trough her hair, "how are you? This is my sister Jane... but you've already met," Lizzie finished. Jane smiled at William, but he didn't smile in return. Lizzie knew Jane was even more shy than usual, because William was Charles' best friend. Normally, she also was silent, but this time Lizzie could almost smell her sister's shyness.  
"Eh, shall we go to the living room, where we can work on our poster?" Lizzie asked, and William nodded.  
"You can put your coat there, yes. Uh, follow me..." Lizzie felt herself blushing. _Stop it, you idiot,_ she thought. They sat down and Lizzie put all the stuff they needed on the large table, while William looked around. The room was empty -Jane was in the kitchen and Lizzie was glad the others were nowhere to find.  
"Uh, I found this images, I thought we could use them," she carefully said, while she showed them.  
"Sure, that's a good idea," he said, "I'll cut these texts."  
"Okay, then I'll cut out the images," Lizzie smiled. It felt like squeezing a statue, but she keeped trying. He could smile, he'd done it before...  
"Have you ever been in The Netherlands?" she asked. He shook his head.  
"Well, I've been, a few years ago. It's a pretty cool country... Only the cd's are incredibly expensive, but I could survive," she laughed.  
"Did they all wear clogs?" he asked, with an interested look on his face. Lizzie felt happy.  
"No, actually I saw no one wearing them," she confessed, "we've been to Amsterdam and the Province of Gelderland. We've seen a lot different sides of Holland... In Amsterdam you've got the city, and when we drove to Gelderland, we saw a few mills (not so many as I expected!) and a _lot_ water. Flat areas. But when we entered the Veluwe, a national park, we actually saw small hills and big woods. It was so beautiful there!"  
"That sounds great," William smiled. He looked her in the eyes and she quickly stood up.  
"Eh, here's a souvenir we bought in Amsterdam..." she showed him a tile with a text on it: '_Oost west, thuis best_'.  
"It means something like 'home sweet home'," she explained.  
"Nice," he smiled again, "I've been in Belgium once. Have you ever...?"  
"No, I haven't," said Lizzie, glad he finally started chatting.  
"Well, I have, and it was also great. They've got excellent chocolate and chips," he laughed, "we've only been in Brussel, the capital, so I didn't see that much of the country, but the city was interesting enough, trust me. They speak two languages over there, one is almost the same as Dutch and the other one sounds really French."  
While he had been talking, Lizzie nerves had grown. She actually wanted to ask him something important, but she didn't know if this was the right time. Maybe he didn't speak about it, because he was scared she might get angry again... She had to ask it, she decided.  
"Eh, William, about something else," she slowly began. He looked at her, questioning. "I wondered... Have you ever heard something of George, after C.U.T.? I know Lydia's asked you about it and, well..."  
His expression became blank.  
"No, I tried to find him, but I didn't," he finally said. "But, if we're already talking about Wickham... What did he exactly tell you, Lizzie?"  
She blushed.  
"Ehm, he said you made a girl pregnant and left her."  
He stood up and looked out the window. When he spoke again, his voice trembled of anger.  
"And you just believed him? It was the first time you met the bastard and you immediately believed him? I thought you were smart!"  
"I am!" Lizzie defended herself, "only not at that moment. Sorry Will, it's just that I never met people who lie about something that serious... Sorry."  
"Well, dumbness is your family's middle name, isn't it?" William asked, and she looked up. He looked like he had totally lost control of himself.  
"What do you mean?" she asked in a low voice.  
"Don't you understand?" he turned around, "from day one people told me about your family! Lydia and Kitty, the two boylovers that live from one day to the next, the hysterical Mrs Bennet and the weird Mary that hums the whole day! And now Kitty told me your dad didn't do a thing when you all found out Lydia's pregnant... How unresponsible! And Jane... Can she actually talk? At the performance she said a few words, but after that... I asked Charles what he sees in her."  
Lizzie stood up as quickly as she could and hit him as hard as she could.  
"You bloody bastard!" she stammered, "How do you dare! Lydia and Kitty like boys... So what? Be glad! And my mother is not hysterical, she just shows her feelings in front of the others, and that's something not many people dare! And Mary loves music, is that so bad? My father is no unresponsible man, he didn't know what to do and you can't blame him for that, he's also a human! About Jane – she is just a little bit shy, and that's good, because she would never ever say such rude things as you did a minute ago. And talking about Charles... ask him what he sees in _you_!"  
She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. Unbelievable she just had hit him. Lizzie scowled at him, and the way he looked back showed he regretted his outburst, but he didn't say a thing.  
She felt desperate. _Please,_ she thought, _say something. This your chance. Please, William... I'm in love with you, but why are you acting like that? After all the things you said, I'm still in love – crazy, I know, but I can't do anything about it. So please, speak..._  
But he didn't speak, and after what seemed to be an eternity, she was the one that softly spoke.  
"Go away. We'll work on the poster later."  
He didn't reply, he just left. When he closed the door, Lizzie sank down on the floor. She couldn't believe it, she really couldn't believe it. Everything had went so well... Had he always thought her family was disgusting?  
"Was that William?" Jane asked, enetering the living room. "Liz, what's up? I heard some loud talking... Didn't hear the words, though," she quickly said, "but, eh, did you guys fight?"  
"He's such a... Well, fill in your favourite curse!" Lizzie said with clenched fists.  
"Whoa, Liz, what's wrong?" Jane sat down next to her.  
"Nothing," she said.  
"Everytime people say there's nothing, there's something."  
"Then I say there's something, which means there's nothing," Lizzie answered, and she teared an image.


	12. Misunderstandings Make You Understand

**I told you guys I was planning this story to have 14 chapters... Well, there are gonna be 13, because I looked at the original ch12, '_Make Up And Make-Up_', and it has nothing to do with the plot. It's some Jane-Charles, but I already gave them the moment in the supermarket and again some JB/CB would only distract. This story is about Lizzie and not her elder sister, so sorry for everyone who likes JB/CB ;)  
**ArwenEvenstar83: I'm glad you liked it, 'coz I was kinda scared it might be too dramatic...  
Roseofthegate: Writing ch11 was really difficult, because I didn't want to make the characters look 'weird', but I guess it turned out okay! Thank you, and yes - English is crazy! (But Dutch even more, lol)  
**Next (and last!) update will be on 31 December, if there are no delays. Please be nice and leave a review :)**

_12. Misunderstandings Make You Understand_

"Lizzie, did you already finished your poster? Where's your partner?" the voice of Mr Hoffman made her almost jump.  
"Eh, William's absent," Lizzie answered, "And we didn't finish the poster. Can we give it to you next week, sir?"  
"Yes, of course you can," he smiled. "But then I really want to have it."  
"We've finished it by then," she promised.  
"Fine," was the answer and he walked to the next table. Lizzie sighed... mathematics was so boring, she realized once again. She played with her pencil, and thought of William. Was he ill or was it something else? Maybe he didn't want to see her, after the incident yesterday. She felt emberassed when she thought of it, but she didn't regret her hit. He had deserved it.  
She looked aside – Eve was also absent. In the break, Jesse had told Lizzie she had the chicken pox.  
"Unbelievable that she never had those before," was his remark, and then he had to leave because his friends had called him, so Lizzie hadn't given him all Eve's papers – test results they had gotten back. Now she would bring them to her after school.  
The bell rang and everybody grabbed their gear and went outside. Lizzie was a bit slower than the rest, so she was the only one left when Mr Hoffman looked up.  
"I forgot to give Kenneth William's test results. Would you please bring them to William Darcy?"  
"Eh, can't you give them to him next lesson, sir?" Lizzie tried, but Hoffman shook his head.  
"No, I can't, that's next week and I want William to know what he has to improve, as soon as possible."  
"Alright," Lizzie slowly said, "I'll give them to him. Where does he live?"  
"Eh, one moment," Hoffman looked at a few papers. "Yes, there it is: Pemperley fifty-eight. Do you know where that is?"  
"Yes, near Stephenson Drive," Lizzie nodded. She put William's papers in her back, next to Eve's, and she left.  
"Bye, Mr Hoffman."  
Her teacher nodded in return.  
Lizzie went outside to her bike. A lot classmates were still at school, but Kenneth was nowhere to find, and Lizzie didn't know anyone who lived near Pemberley. She decided there was no other solution: she had to go.  
First she drove to William's house, with a pounding heart. She calmed herself down with the thought that he probably wouldn't open the door. If he was ill.  
When she entered the street he lived in, she realized his family had to be very rich: semi-detached houses looked dignified down at her. She'd never been in this street before, but all the stories she had heard about it seemed to be right – only the wealthiest people lived here.  
Fifty... Fiifty-two... Fifty-four... Fifty-six... Fifty-eight! Her heart seemed to explode and Lizzie got off her bike and she rang at the door. While she waited, she grabbed the papers of William and Eve, and then someone opened the door. A young girl looked at her with an interested expression on her face,  
"Hello there," she grinned.  
"Hello, I'm-"  
"Eve!" Georgia pointed to the paper, with Eve's name on it. "Nice to meet you, I'm Georgia."  
"Oh, this is a misunderstanding, you see-"  
"No no, no misunderstanding. William's my brother, you're not at the wrong house. I guess you're here because of him? What can I do for you?"  
Lizzie looked at Georgia. Actually, it was quite nice William's sister didn't know who she was, because she didn't want William to know she had been on his doorstep.  
"Eh, I came to bring these papers," Lizzie smiled, "these are test results of maths."  
"Ah, thank you," Georgia answered, and then: "Do you wanna come in?"  
"Oh, no, thank you," Lizzie quickly said, "I actually gotta go, I'm sorry."  
"Don't feel sorry," Georgia cheerfully said, "Have a nice day!"  
"Same to you!" Lizzie greeted, and she turned around.  
"Wait!" Georgia suddenly said, and she also stepped outside, to face Lizzie.  
"Do you know a certain Lizzie?" she curious asked, "She must be in your class."  
"Oh, you mean Lizzie Bennet?" Lizzie asked, feeling just as curious as Georgia seemed to be. "Yes, I do know her. She's a nice girl. Why?"  
"Nothing... Well, can I tell you secret?" Georgia looked at her and Lizzie nodded.  
"I won't tell anyone, promise."  
"Okay then – do you think there's a tiny chance Lizzie may like my elder brother?"  
Lizzie's mouth fell open.  
"He's in love with her, you know," Georgia continued, "and I wondered if she was too. He's so sad, the last few weeks. He's scared to ask her out, I guess. It's not only fear, though – he's too pride. I know, he's weird, but he can't do anything about it," she shrugged.  
"What d'you mean by pride?" Lizzie frowned.  
"O, he thinks he's too good for her family. Mind, her _family_, not Lizzie. He told me she has a weird family, but he didn't tell me the details. But what do you think?"  
"I think he has no reason to be scared," Lizzie said in a husky voice, "The only problem is his pride. There's nothing wrong with her family, and besides, he fell in love with her, not them!"  
"Wise words!" Georgia smiled. "Anyway, please don't tell anyone about this, okay? William'll kill me and I guess Lizzie also doesn't want to know about this conversation."  
"Of course."  
"I'll tell my brother he just have to give it a try," Georga decided, "Well, Eve, it was really nice to meet you."  
"The same to you, again," Lizzie smiled back, and with an awkward feeling, she left.  
This definately had been an illuminating conversation. She still didn't really know what to do, but now she had all pieces of the puzzle. And that was at least something. Right?


	13. One Plus One Makes Two

**I'm back from London (had a great time there :D)! A nice 2006 everyone, by the way!  
**_Cancat90_: Thank you! Hope you like this one :) _Roseofthegate_: Did you like it in Chigago? Also happy 2006 to you. _ArwenEvenstart83_: This chapter definately shows how much he likes her, haha :) _JaysHeartsDesire (an.)_: You don't have to wait any longer! _White Camellia_: Thank you, thank you :) _Cancat90 (2)_: Yeah, Georgia is a great character, I agree :) She's very nice to write about. _Musafa (an.)_: Which sentences do you mean? If you're pointing at wrong words at 'unresponsible'... I told you guys I'm Dutch! And I try to make as less faults as possible.  
**Unbelievable. The last chapter. I really enjoyed writing Lizzie Of Longbourn, and I'm honoured you were all so positive about this fanfic. Thank you all... I hope you like this last chapter – remember you can still review! **

_13. One Plus One Makes Two_

The bell rang and everyone grabbed their bags. Eve looked at Lizzie.  
"You realize this is the last time you're gonna work on the poster together?" she asked.  
"Yes, I do," Lizzie said, while they left the classroom. "Why?"  
"You also realize this is the ultimate chance to sort out your problem?"  
"Which problem?" Lizzie asked, although she perfectly knew what Eve meant.  
"Your _luv _problem," Eve said with a meaningful look.  
"Which luv problem?" Lizzie asked, although she perfectly knew Eve was right.  
"Bennet!" Eve exclaimed, "face it: you like William since day one, but you had never really the chance to show him, because of George's story and now you know he doesn't like your family, but-"  
"Exactly! He doesn't like my family! So we can't be, Eve, we really can't be."  
"Why not? He fell in love with you and not them... Your own words."  
"Stop it, will you?" Lizzie said frustrated, "It's my business and I don't think it'll help if I go to him. Do you think he forgot the hit I gave him? I _hit_ him!"  
"And he hit you – with his words. He knows that, and I'm sure he wants to sort the problems out. And I'm also sure that's what you want, too."  
"That's not what I want at all!" Lizzie answered, with fierce. But deep inside, she knew the truth.  
"Then what do you want?" Eve asked.  
"Eve!"  
They looked up and saw Michael standing in front of them.  
"Mike!" Eve smiled, "eh, Liz..."  
"You go," Lizzie grinned, and Eve grinned back. She walked away with Michael, and Lizzie frowned. What did she want? Well, that was simple... A happy ending. That was all she was asking for.  
She sighed. The last few weeks had shown her life's not always perfect. Take Lydia for example, she thought. But... didn't Lydia end up fine? Hadn't she grown? And what about the beautiful James or Susan? Maybe happy endings do exist, she thought, but they're probably just not the way we expect them to be.  
"Lizzie?"  
She froze and then turned around.  
"Hey William," she nervously greeted. He smiled back and she was surprised.  
"Shall we go to the maths classroom?" she asked, "Hoffman said we could finish the poster over there."  
"Sounds fine by me," he said, "but how do we get in? We don't have got the classroom's key."  
"Oh, he said we could ask the janitor to open it," Lizzie looked at him, and wondered what this afternoon would be like.

"You wrote the text about the Oath of Medical Ethics, right?""Yes, I did... Calm down," William laughed, "you're panicking!"  
"Sorry... We've got only an hour to finish this!"  
"Yes, and we will do that in time, trust me," he smiled. Lizzie's heart made a flipflop.  
"Please, stop it," she softly said. He looked up.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Don't act like nothing happened... This whole day you ignored me, and now you're laughing and making jokes."  
"What's wrong with that?"  
"Nothing's wrong with _that_, the pretending is wrong! Look... I didn't mean to hit you," she confessed, and she watched him. She saw his expression softened.  
"And I didn't mean to say all those things about your family... It wasn't fair, and you were right – there's nothing weird about them, I'm weird. I mean, who says those stuff about the people someone like you cares about?"  
"Someone like me?"  
"Yeah," William stepped to her and took her hand, "Liz, I'm a cow. I know it, I admit it and I hope you don't blame me for being like that. And the whole situation with Lydia and George only made things worse, and I felt guilty. So I freaked out and I insulted your family. I totally understand you feel offended by me, but I actually hope..."  
"Forget it," Lizzie softly interrupted him. He looked confused.  
"What?"  
"Forget everything... _Everything_..." she said, and their gazes met. She saw the way he looked at her, and she realized there would be a happy ending.  
William bent to her and their lips met. He grabbed her waist and their kiss deepened. Lizzie stoked his hair and was only aware of the amazing feeling the kiss gave her. When they finally let go of each other, they smirked.  
"I never enjoyed working on maths that much," Lizzie said, and she flushed. William laughed and caressed her cheek.  
"You were the one that talked to Georgia, right?"  
"Uh..." she didn't know what to say.  
"She told me 'Eve with the funny sunflower skirt' brought my maths results – you're the only one in the whole class that has a sunflower skirt, miss Bennet," he smiled. "And then she told me I had to give it a try... What did you say to her?" he curiously asked.  
"She really thought I was Eve... And then she started to ask me about Lizzie," Lizzie said, "And she told me you were in love with me..."  
"I am," he looked her in the eyes, "and what about you?"  
"What are you thinking?" Lizzie laughed, "I'm also in love with you, silly!"  
"Do you wanna go out with me?" William asked, and he brightly smiled.  
"Of course I want to!" Lizzie exclaimed. Her head was dizzy of happiness, and she got only more and more dizzy when they kissed again.

_the (happy) end _


End file.
